Pant-like absorbent garments, such as diapers and training pants, typically include a pair of leg openings having an elastic portion around each leg opening. The elastic portions are intended to fit snugly around a wearer's legs to prevent leakage from the garment. However, more gasketing pressure is required in certain areas around the leg, such as in the crotch area, than in other areas around the leg, such as in the dwell areas away from the crotch.
Various technologies are known for applying leg elastics to such articles. For example, some technologies involve increasing spacing between elastic members at the crotch area around each leg opening. This type of spacing results in low gasketing pressure in the crotch area and higher gasketing pressure in the areas away from the crotch. This type of spacing is the normal process fallout due to the correspondence between the angle of application and the spacing between the elastic members.
More particularly, when the elastic members are applied to a garment in a machine direction, variations in the angle of application result in variations in spacing. When a device used to apply the elastic members aligns the elastic members in the crotch area in a row substantially perpendicular to the machine direction, as the elastic members are guided away from the crotch area, the angle between the row and the machine direction is closer to 0°, thereby resulting in wider spacing in the crotch area and narrower spacing in the area away from the crotch. Other technologies boast consistent spacing between elastic members around the entire leg opening. Some of the technologies mentioned, and others, include consistent gasketing pressure around the entire leg opening.
There is a need or desire for a process for optimizing spacing among elastic members around the leg openings of pant-like absorbent garments to provide enhanced comfort, fit and containment about the leg openings of such garments.